The HEMS is a Home Energy Management System, also known as a Community Flexibility Box, installed in your home which connects to other smart appliances (such as EV chargers, Immersion Heaters and batteries). The HEMS enables these appliances to be controlled so that you can use electricity flexibly, and take advantage of services such as PowerShaper Flex which allows you to participate in explicit demand-side-response: responding to local requests to turn devices off/on to help maintain the good operation of the grid. Making your appliances more flexible and agile helps to ensure a sustainable and affordable electricity system by using power when it is greener and more abundant!

The diagram above shows the different elements that may be present in a typical PowerShaper install. Your install may have some or all of the devices listed. Depending on your situation there may be some variation in your setup: 

1. Immersion heater with WiFi-enabled relay switch. This is connected via WiFi to the HEMS.
2. Solar panels with a solar diverter which is compatible with our Home Energy Management System (HEMS)
3. A battery which is compatible with our HEMS
4. Your home router which is connected to the internet.
5. The PowerShaper HEMS is connected to the router via an ethernet cable or if necessary a powerline adapter. 
6. An electric vehicle and PowerShaper compatible charger which is WiFi enabled. This is connected to the HEMS. 

The HEMS is connected (either directly by ethernet or via a Powerline connection) to your home router, and will look something like this: